Jamaica High School Placed On Lockdown After Students Sneak In From Lunch

Jamaica High School in Queens was placed on lockdown on Thursday, Dec. 18, after a group of students tried to sneak in undetected from lunch off campus. (Credit: CBS2)

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Jamaica High School in Queens was placed on lockdown over suspected intruders Thursday afternoon, but officials said it turned out to be a group of students who were trying to sneak back in unnoticed after leaving campus.

As CBS2’s Matt Kozar reported, police scrambled around 2:30 p.m. when a call came in about three men in ski masks rushing into Jamaica High School, at 167-01 Gothic Dr. in Queens. The call prompted a massive response and a lockdown.

Sources told CBS2 it all started when the principal saw two people entering a side door and assumed they were intruders. But it turned out they were just students who sneaked out for lunch and were sneaking back in to avoid detection from security cameras.

One of the students wore a ski mask to hide his identity, sources said.

But their efforts at avoiding detection proved to be a disaster. Police stormed the building, and took the students into custody after a search.

No weapons were found, and no one was injured, officials said.

Jamaica High School senior Jabari Corsfield snapped a picture inside a rehearsal room, where he and his classmates remained during the lockdown. He said the school has monthly lockdown drills, so everyone was ready and prepared.

Jabari Corsfield snapped this photo of students during a lockdown at Jamaica High School on Thursday, Dec. 18. (Credit: Jabari Corsfield)

“We were just told it was a lockdown, so you know, we didn’t joke around and guess if it was real or not, because it’s all protocol. So they say it’s a lockdown, they’re not going to joke around on the loudspeaker. It might be a drill, but we’re not sure, so we just do as we’re told,” he said.

Corsfield said he was calm, but some students were not.

“I was calm, you know, I was trying to calm everyone down,” he said. “A lot of kids were nervous.”

Students told CBS2’s Kozar a female classmate suffered some health-related stress from the incident. The student was taken to Queens Hospital Center in an unknown condition.

A music concert was scheduled for Thursday night at the school, and was to go on as planned.